Those who fall first
by Hananiah
Summary: Ash is redeemed before secret vampire, and now on his quest for redemtion he turns to his cousin James, who has his own problems trying to distance himself from his human best friend
1. Chapter 1

Title: The first to fall

Summery: Ash is redeemed before 'the secret vampire' and asks James for help. James meanwhile is trying to maintain distance from Poppy, because what he feels for her is forbidden

Disclaimer: All characters belong to L.J Smith

Spoilers: Secret Vampire, Daughters of darkness

You have two new messages

James Rasmussen flopped onto his bed, hand reaching out automatically to check his messages.

First message

"James it's me Ash, I need to talk to you. Call me back on this number"

End Message

James sat up, and stared at the machine, the brief, hurried message didn't sound like his cousin. Ash acted as if he had all the time in the world, but his voice had sounded different, not tinged with the self importance that James hated. In fact, James hadn't heard his cousin sound like that since they were kids.

Next message

"Hi James, it's Poppy, if you want you can come over later and watch a DVD"

James felt his head hang; he had been ignoring Poppy over the weekend, hoping that somehow distance would help him gain perspective. Over the summer break he had spent nearly all his time with Poppy and he was beginning to become attached to her, his feelings becoming much more deeper and being around her had become almost unbearable.

In his mind he recited the laws of the Night world, the penalties for getting involved with a human, in the past that had been enough to stop the feelings clamoring to the surface but now it seemed far away whenever he thought of Poppy. In fact almost everything drifted away when he thought of her.

The Night world laws reminded him of Ash, and he replayed his cousins' message once more, and then redialed. Part of him dreaded thinking of the trouble his cousin could be in, it had to be bad, Ash rarely involved him, but his exploits were well known among the Redfern Cousins.

"Hey thanks for getting back to me so quick"

"No problem. What's the matter?"

There was a long pause. "Can I come over?"

James considered. Ash never brought anything but trouble, but this was the first time that James could remember that Ash had ever _asked_ to come over. Usually he announced when he was arriving.

James looked at his bedside table where a photograph of Poppy and himself on the beach sat. Ash would be a distraction, probably not a pleasant one but one that could keep him away from Poppy and his forbidden thoughts.

"Sure"


	2. Chapter 2

"You said you wanted to talk" James said into the silence.

Ash nodded, almost absently. "Yeah I did. You probably won't even believe me. I'm not really sure I believe it"

"Believe what, Ash?"

"What do you know about me? I mean if you were describing me to someone?"

Ash stood, moving about the room, in his normal unhurried grace, but James could read tension in his muscles and a tightness of his jaw, signs of distress Ash hadn't allowed to surface in years. Ash wasn't exactly known as a deep thinker, of course he wasn't as dumb as he let on, but James had never thought the blonde capable of deep inward contemplation.

"What's going on, Ash?"

"I've just come back from Oregon. My sisters ran away"

James kept silent, he couldn't blame the girls, and it seemed inevitable that they would attempt something along those lines, although he hadn't credited them with enough guts to go through with it-not when they knew Ash would be coming after them.

Ash shook his head and let out a bark of laughter. "They went to this hick town called Briar Creek, I mean there's nothing there at all" he trailed off, his eyes had turned a deep blue colour and was clouded by remembrance.

"Except this girl. This girl called Mary-Lynette. And her brother, they found out about the girls"

James pressed his fingers against his forehead. The laws of the Nightworld couldn't be clearer about what happened when humans found out about the Nightworld. And Ash had always done what was necessary when family honour was involved.

"It gets worse"

"How can it be worse?"

"This girl, she's my soulmate"


End file.
